


show them how you smile (it's only for a while)

by NeonTinkerbell



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Forgiveness, Minor Character Death, Silver-Eyed Warriors (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29606856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonTinkerbell/pseuds/NeonTinkerbell
Summary: When Ilia allows the White Fang’s plans to fall into the Belladonna’s hands, the Albain brothers give her a chance to make up for her failures. Now, with Blake’s life hanging in the balance, Ilia’s going to have to make a choice. Will she allow the pain and mistakes of the past to dictate her future? Or, will she take her fate into her own hands?
Relationships: Ilia Amitola/Blake Belladonna
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	show them how you smile (it's only for a while)

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to the amazing [NerdButton](/users/nerdbutton/) for beta reading this fic!
> 
> The story picks up after “Taking Control” and includes part of the episode “Volume 5 Blake Character Short”.
> 
> **Trigger warning – brief implied suicidal thoughts.**

“Sister Ilia, thank you for meeting with us.” 

The Albain brother's inner sanctum is warm despite the chill of the evening sea breeze. The small candles cast flickering shadows against the mahogany walls and bookshelves. It could pass for a library if it weren’t for all the White Fang banners and posters. Ilia closes the door gently behind her, walks forward and kneels before them. 

“How may I be of assistance?” 

“Please, stand.” Corsac’s tone is warm, polite. Ilia does so. 

“With the Belladonnas now in possession of the information regarding the White Fang’s plans, we must take measures to ensure our influence in Menagerie is not compromised.” Fennec’s tone matches his brothers. There’s no anger in their words but Ilia can still feel their disappointment in her. 

“I apologize for my failures, I will do whatever is necessary to make them right.” 

"Do not concern yourself with past failures, Ilia. Focus on the future. We have an opportunity for redemption.” Corsac raises his hands as he speaks, sweeping one of them in front of him and then placing them both behind his back. 

Ilia swallows thickly, “What do you need me to do?” 

Fennec nods his head towards her, his ears bobbing as he does, “With High Leader Taurus ascension about to begin, the Belladonnas are the only remaining threat to his assault on Haven Academy, now that they know of our plans.” 

“And so, they must be silenced...” Corsac finishes. 

“S-silenced?” Ilia’s composure slips at the brother's words, but she manages to avoid her skin changing. Surely, they can't be asking her to...? 

“They stand in the way of true progress for our people.” Corsac's eyes betray no emotion as he speaks.

Fennec places his hands together, as if in prayer. “We would never put such a burden on you alone, of course. Your brothers and sisters will be at your side, but your relationship with their daughter makes you an integral part of this operation.” 

“Blake?” Ilia’s heart feels like a rock in her chest. Nothing could have prepared her this and she can’t help but glance away from the brothers for a moment. 

“We know how close you are with young Blake. Rest assured, High Leader Taurus has requested she be taken alive, and so you will ensure her disappearance, of which we will then use to control the Belladonnas.” 

Relief floods her chest. She had been convinced they were about to ask her to— 

No, surely Adam would never go that far. The coup against High Leader Kahn was one thing but the Belladonna’s hadn’t been part of the White Fang in a long time. 

“It will be done.” Ilia’s voice settles back into a natural tone. Fennec and Corsac both bring their hands together, palm holding fist, and give a slight bow towards her. Dismissed, Ilia returns the action and turns to make for the door. 

She has plans to make. 

* * *

The crashing and shouting is rapidly getting closer and Ilia readies Lightning Lash. Sweat is pooling in her palms and she fights down the churning in her stomach. Pressed against the dark timber of a house her natural skin tone camouflages her best and they can't afford any mistakes now. 

Cobe bolts past her hiding place, huffing and panting as he tries to keep ahead of his pursuers. Blake has taken the bait then. The dark scales on his skin made him stick out like a sore thumb even here on Menagerie. He also sucked at keeping a low profile and the Albain’s regard him as expendable, perfect for this operation. 

Expendable. With her recent fuck ups, they probably consider her that as well. 

Blake sprints past in a blur of white, black and determination that Ilia idolized. 

Ilia leaps out behind her. Her hand snapping forward sending Lighting Lash whipping out in an arc, ending wrapped around the ankle of Blake’s boot. The whip snapped taught as she yanks her arm back. Blake flies almost gracefully forward off her feet, before slamming back down onto the dirt road. 

The safety catch for the dust chambers releases with a flick of her thumb. Pulling the trigger, the mechanism inside the chamber sparks, igniting the lightning dust inside. The conversion of heat to electrical energy takes only seconds and the equivalent of 40,000 volts races through the cable towards the nearest uninsulated grounded object; Blake’s body. Her Aura shatters in a burst of purple light but Ilia doesn’t let off the trigger until she’s sure Blake’s unconscious. 

Ilia takes a step forward and the smell of burning hair hits the back of her nose. She swallows thickly, pressing down the memories of explosions, fire and ambushes. Before she can reach Blake though a web of spider silk splatters on Blake’s back, yanking her up off the street towards the rooftops. 

A quick glance up the street reveals Cobe’s vanished, perhaps not as useless as thought - he did succeed, in the end. That’s her cue to book it out there as well but it’s a moment before her heart unclenches enough to let the signals from her brain down to her feet. 

By the time she reaches the roof, the blonde boy from their last encounter is standing in the street calling Blake’s name. Trifa has Blake slung across her shoulders; her hands and feet bound by thick ropes of webbing. She gives Illia a brief nod and they take off running across the rooftops towards the rendezvous. 

* * *

It’s stinking hot in the small truck with canvas roof attached, but obviously, it would be a problem if someone spotted them driving around with someone who has a sack over their head in the back seat. Ilia sits next to Blake who’s stirred a couple of times, Cobe in the front passenger seat and Trifa behind the wheel. Outside the windscreen, what limited farmland Menagerie has to offer is giving way to the enormous desert. Coming into view are the giant Mesas, thrusting skyward out of the dry earth like the claws of the Grimm that roamed it. 

Beside her Blake shoots upright, thrashing in her seat and struggling against her bonds. Without thinking Ilia pulls the sack off her head, any words of reassurance dying in her throat. She’s kidnapping her former best friend, nothing she can say will make this any better. 

Surprise, then hurt, flashes across Blake’s face before she lunges forward, slamming her head into Ilia’s. There’s a sharp crack and Blake falls back onto the seat, dazed. Without any Aura, it would have been like headbutting a concrete wall. It didn’t even hurt; for a moment Ilia wishes it did. It certainly deserved to hurt. 

“Looks like those Aura suppressing cuffs are doing their job then.” Ilia catches Trifa’s smirk in the rear-view mirror as a sour feeling settles in her gut. 

“Why wouldn’t they?” Ilia can’t help the edge creeping into her voice. 

“You really put that much faith in Atlesian tech?” Trifa shot back, her smirk growing even bigger. 

A non-committal grunt is all Ilia can manage at this point as she turns back to Blake. She must have been listening as she was now curled up into the corner of her seat, ears pressed flat against her head and glaring at the white cuffs binding her wrists together. 

With a sigh, Ilia undoes the buckle on her pouch and draws out her water canteen. She unscrews the lid and offers it to Blake. It’s warm, and the plastic gives it a funny taste, but it’s the best peace offering she’s got. When Blake looks up at her the anger’s left her face. She just looks sad, heartbreakingly sad like she’s resigned herself to whatever fate awaits her at the end of this car trip. Maybe she thinks they’re taking her somewhere to kill her, make her dig her own shallow grave before putting a bullet in the back of her unprotected head. It’s what Ilia would think if she were sitting in her position. 

Cautiously, Blake takes the canteen from her hand and then sniffs it. Obviously satisfied with whatever she found she drinks deeply from it. When she hands it back to Ilia there are a few mouthfuls splashing around in the bottom and Ilia drains them herself. 

No one speaks for the rest of the trip. 

* * *

The safehouse is the usual five-star Fang accommodations - a rundown wooden shack tucked away in the shadow of a cliff, with the outhouse a good fifteen meters from the door. Ilia guides Blake towards it with one hand wrapped around her bicep. She doesn’t struggle or try to run. 

Inside, there’s a small kitchen and two rooms. The smaller one is clean fortunately when she opens the door, the windows boarded over but light still shines through the cracks. Ilia can’t bring herself to shove Blake inside so she leads her over to the bed and turns to leave. 

“Why are you doing this?” 

The question cuts her like a knife. Ilia turns her head to the side towards the wall, not making eye contact. 

“I’m following orders.” In the three steps to the door, her emotions wage a war inside her chest. Guilt, regret, settling into anger. “You should have left when I told you to.” Ilia spits and slams the door behind her. The lock clanks heavily when it turns and she drops the key on the table. There’s moisture on her cheeks and she brushes it away angrily before Cobe or Trifa can see. She needs to get her shit together. 

Cobe almost collides with her as she stalks out of the shack. Ilia ignores his cursing and walks back to the truck. Trifa tosses her a duffel bag from the trunk before she can grab anything. Judging by the weight they’ll be eating a lot of tinned rations while they’re out here. Ilia sighs and starts back towards the house. 

It doesn’t take long to unload the truck and unpack the supplies they’ve brought. Enough to last a week should anything go wrong and enough dust and ammo to fend off the usual Grimm. 

“You want to cook or patrol?” Trifa asks, holding up a frying pan. 

“Patrol,” Ilia cuts in, “Don’t burn this place down while I’m gone.” She’s out the door before either of them can object. 

Nights in the desert are beautiful. It’s not the first time Ilia’s been out here and the sky is as clear and bright with stars as she remembers it. Aside from slapping away the occasional mosquito, it’s peaceful. There’s a gentle breeze rustling the scraggly brush that barely grows and small wildlife scuttling about the place. No inhuman howls cut through the night and Ilia allows herself a moment to find some of the constellations. Panwem’s Hammer, Wealdal the Hunter, Airnail. She traces her finger over the last one, the memory of her mum’s hand guiding her own as she pointed them out. She had whispered in Ilia’s ear that her eyes reminded her of the stars, bright and shining. It’s been so long she can’t remember their faces or the sound of their voices. Just the feeling of being loved and being safe. 

Ilia hasn’t felt either of those things in a long time. 

By the time she makes it back the plate of food left out for her is going cold. Ilia wolfs it downs anyway, staying up on watch with an empty stomach is the fucking worst. The rest of the night is quiet and she crawls into the already warm bed when Trifa replaces her. Cobe is snoring like a pig but it doesn’t take long for sleep to claim her. 

* * *

Ilia’s on prisoner duty for lunch which means bringing Blake a plate of food and making sure she doesn’t do anything stupid with the cutlery. Blake eats in silence before handing her plate and the fork she brought. For a minute, Ilia thinks she might make it through this interaction without upsetting either of them. 

“You don’t have to follow them, you know.” 

“Follow what exactly?” Ilia replies. There’s no heat in her voice, no point making this worse than it already is. 

Blake blinks slowly at her. Her amber eyes burn a hole in Ilia’s Aura with their softness. “Your orders.” 

“And what would I do instead, Blake?” The words fight their way past the lump in Ilia’s throat and past her better judgement. 

“You could leave.” 

“Where would I go? I’ve got no family, no friends outside of the Fang, and then what would I do? A traitor to the White Fang, where would I hide? At one of the Huntsmen Academies? I can see that worked out real fucking well for you!” 

Blake flinches and Ilia curses herself. She should just leave. She’s halfway through turning around when Blake’s words catch her on a knife-edge. 

“You’ve got me.” 

An inferno ignites in her chest. Ilia spins and storms over to her. Ilia’s never been taller than Blake but she feels it as she stands over her sitting on the bed. 

"If that were true, you wouldn't have left me behind!" Ilia can feel the tears pooling at the edges of her eyes but she’s too angry to stop. "I loved you. And I hoped that someday you would look at me like you looked at Adam but it didn’t matter because you were my best friend! I would have followed you anywhere, even out of the White Fang!” 

Her finger is in Blake’s face but it’s only after she’s finished her tirade of years' worth of bottled feelings that she realizes her skin is bright red. She watches it as the colour bleeds from red into blue, the fire going out. 

Blake's eyes are wide and her ears are pressed forward against her head. 

“But you left me there... alone.” Ilia’s voice cracks on the last word and she turns away, unable to face her. She walks to the door as steadily as she can. “You've made your choices and I've made mine. Now, we have to live with them.” 

Easy to say, harder to do. Whether she will actually be able remains to be seen. The Menagerie desert is a big place, after all. 

Plenty of places to get lost. 

*** 

Either Cobe and Trifa didn’t overhear her breakdown or they’re doing an extremely good job of pretending not to have. The rest of the day passes without incident, save for a couple of Beowolves that come sniffing around. She and Trifa take them down quickly and quietly. 

The next morning it’s Ilia’s turn to draw water from the well. She boils it and sets it aside to cool. The waiting around is giving her too much time to think and she stomps around outside, kicking rocks and watching the horizon shimmer in the heat. Tomorrow, all going well, they’ll be dropping Blake at the dock and then Ilia won’t have to see her again. The thought sits like a jagged edge against her heart. She hadn’t expected to see Blake ever again when she first disappeared. 

No, that was a lie. She’d told herself Blake would come back, of course she’d come back, she wouldn’t just abandon the White Fang, she wouldn’t just leave her there without saying goodb— 

It took a while before she realized she wasn't ever going to see Blake again. 

And then she had and it had fucked everything up. 

It was easy after Blake left to just push aside her feelings of doubt and uncertainty about the things she was being asked to do for the White Fang. She didn’t give a shit about what anyone else thought of her and there was nowhere else she could go. Following orders was easy. 

Until it wasn’t. 

Until Blake was involved. 

Fuck. 

* * *

Blake must have sensed something was different. She stands before Ilia even has a chance to hand over her dinner plate. 

“What is the point of all this, Ilia. Why are you keeping me here?” 

Ilia blinks in surprise. “You’re only asking this now?” 

“You’re the only one who talks to me, Ilia. Please, I just want to know what’s going on?” Her amber eyes are pleading with her in a way Ilia’s never been able to resist. 

“Adam thinks your parents have too much sway over the Faunas here, he wants to control them by holding you hostage.” 

Blake goes visibly pale at the mention of Adams name and her eyes dart around the room. “Adam’s here!?” 

“No, he’s in Haven. There’s a ship coming tomorrow that’s going to take you there.” 

There’s a loud thump. When Ilia looks up, Blake’s on her knees and shaking like a leaf in an autumn gale. She places the plate carefully on the ground and steps over to her. 

“Blake?” 

The naked fear in Blake’s eyes almost causes her to flinch. Her cuffed hands grab Ilia’s jacket and she allows herself to be pulled down to eye level. “Please, please you can’t, Ilia! He’ll kill me, or find a way to do something even worse, please!” 

“What are you talking about?” 

Despite everything that’s happened between them in the last 72 hours, this has thrown Ilia off balance the hardest. She’s never seen Blake this distraught, not even when she found out her parents were leaving the White Fang. 

“Adam, he—” A sob cuts through Blake’s words and before she can stop herself, she’s put her hand on Blake’s shoulder. Does she even have the right to try and comfort her after everything that Ilia’s done to her? But when she sees Blake’s grateful look, she knows she’s made the right decision. Blake takes a shaky breath before continuing, “He found me at Beacon, during the attack. He said I’d betrayed him by leaving and because I refused to be with him, he’d make me suffer by destroying everything I loved.” 

Ilia felt sick. The Albain’s had lied to her, she was just a pawn in one man’s twisted game of revenge. “How did you escape?” 

“He lured my partner Yang in by stabbing me after he broke my Aura and when they fought, he cut off her arm. I managed to distract him and escape with her before he killed her but... if you take me to him, he won’t stop until he’s hunted down and killed the rest of my team.” 

“No.” 

Blake blinked at her and Ilia reached out and gently wiped away the tears pooling at the edges of Blake’s eyes. 

“He’s not going to take you because I’m going to get you out of here.” 

Ilia considered her options. She had to get Blake out of here, tonight; she would do whatever it took to protect her from Adam and the rest of the White Fang. Their best chance would be during her turn on watch during the night. 

“Ilia... your eyes?” 

Blake was staring at her with a confused look on her face. 

“What?” 

Ilia never gets an answer because outside the shack the evening erupts in gunfire, screaming and the ear-splitting screech of a giant Nevermore 

* * *

There are two giant Nevermores, Ilia finds as she bursts through the front door of the shack in time to see the second one swoop out of the sky and swallow Cobe in a single go. The other Nevermore is busy disembowelling Trifa with its enormous claws and while that buys them precious seconds it’s still not enough to offer any real hope of escape. 

“WHERE ARE THE KEYS?!” Blake screams at her over the sound of another ear-splitting scream from one of the Nevermores. 

Ilia points at Trifa. Blake doesn’t hesitate and sprints towards the body. Ilia wants to scream at her since she’s now running directly towards the flying nightmare Grimm. Instead, she draws Lighting Lash and begins firing at the Nevermore to draw its attention away from Blake. 

It doesn't work. 

The Nevermore swats Blake off her feet with a single sweep of its wing, sending her slamming into the side of the shack and down onto the hard dirt. Ilia’s heart is in her throat as she races toward Blake. She slides onto the dirt, drawing Blake into her arms and checking for any signs of life. She’s bleeding heavily from a nasty gash in her head but her eyes flutter open and meet her own. 

“Ilia...” 

The second Nevermore lands in front of them as the first looms towards them, abandoning its previous meal. 

It can't end like this. 

Ilia has had a lot of awful, unfair things happen to her in her life but if she and Blake die now, this might just be the worst. There’s a scream building in her chest, but it feels stronger somehow like her body’s going to rip itself, atom from atom, with the unfairness of it all. All she’s wanted was to be back with Blake, and now when it matters most, she can’t even protect the woman she loves mor— 

The scream rips itself from her chest and the night explodes into brilliant silver light. 

* * *

When she wakes, she’s in bed and feeling much more comfortable than she ought to be. Blake is sitting next to bed reading a book, her wrists now thankfully cuff free. 

“Are we dead?” 

Blake laughs and it might be the best sound Ilia’s heard in a long time. 

“No, we’re alive thanks to you.” 

The smile Blake gives her makes Ilia’s heart flutter but the feeling is lost as the gravity of Blake’s words sinks in. 

“I saved us?” 

Blake places her book down and leans towards her. “Did your parents tell you that you had to keep your silver eyes a secret?” 

Maybe she should be more worried about how hard Blake hit her head. “Blake, my eyes are blue.” 

Blake shook her head, “I saw you last night, and the same light as when Ruby fought the Wyvern. And before that when you were telling me you were going to help me escape, your eyes turned silver, the exact same shade as hers.” 

There are a lot of questions going around in her head but the one she settles on first is, “Who’s Ruby?” 

Blake lets out another laugh and begins explaining about her team at Beacon. It takes a while but by the time she finishes talking and Ilia’s run out of questions, Blake's pretty much got her convinced. 

Once Ilia’s out of bed and moving it doesn’t take them long to pack essentials for the drive back to Kuo Kuana. Blake’s recovered Gambol Shroud and they’ve covered and placed Trifa’s body inside to protect from the elements until she can be buried. 

They're about to get into the truck when Ilia hesitates. Blake comes to stand next to her and gently places her hand on Ilia’s shoulder, a silent question in her touch. 

“What are we going to tell people... your parents?” 

“About what?"

“That I helped kidnap you.” Ilia’s shoulders slump. The reality of the situation is starting to sink in. It’s all well and good to say she was following orders, but that doesn’t absolve her of any of the consequences of her actions. 

“But you also helped rescue me so I think that balances it out.” Blake’s smile hasn’t gotten any dimmer but it can't alleviate the anxiousness that’s clawing at her insides. 

“Yeah, but—” 

Any further protest is lost when Blake captures her lips in a searing kiss. Her lips are chapped but so soft and when she swipes her tongue across Ilia’s lips, she can’t help but moan a little and Blake takes full advantage of the opening. 

When they finally come up for air and Ilia opens her eyes, Blake gasps. She grabs Ilia by the shoulders and spins her to look in the truck's side mirrors. Ilia lets out her own gasp at the sight of her reflection. Her eyes are pure silver, shining in the sunlight. However, moments later the light bleeds away and they settle back into her usual icy blue. 

“That’s so fucking weird.” 

Blake bursts out laughing at the comment, “It’s not that weird!” 

It kinda is, but there are more important things to be worried about. “Sooo...?” 

“What?” 

“You kissed me?” 

Blake smiles back at her. “I did,” she looks away and scuffs the toe of her boot in the dirt before looking back. “I wish I had chosen you instead of Adam, but I didn’t and it’s too late to change that,” She reaches out and takes Ilias hand in hers, the warmth flooding her palm, “But you’re wrong, we don’t have to live with our choices. We can make new, better choices every day and now, I’m choosing you.” 

That might be the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to Ilia and coming from Blake it means everything. She feels like she might explode with overwhelming happiness if she doesn’t kiss Blake again right now. 

So, she does and after letting out a brief squeal, Blake kisses her right back. 

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by an amazing piece of artwork by [nyansense-the-nyanbinary](https://nyansense-the-nyanbinary.tumblr.com/post/643224413526999041/life-is-beautiful-life-is-precious-and-it-must/)!
> 
> I won't be writing any more in this AU but if you're interested in what Ilia getting pulled into the main plot of RWBY would look like, I'd highly recommend checking out the amazing fic [Rainbow Pollination](/works/28722072/chapters/70421976)!


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